Here is the letter nominating Kathy and Carmah for the Del Martin Award:
OLOC,
The women of Northern Colorado OLOC are proud to nominate Kathy Glass, 78, and Carmah
Lawler, 81, for the Del Martin Old Lesbian Pride Award. Kathy and Carmah celebrate 32 years
together in 2010. They are retired social workers and live in Lakewood, Colorado.
The Northern Colorado OLOC Chapter was formed in 1993 and they joined soon after. They are
strong believers in grass roots politics and have been active in the Jefferson County Democrats,
Stonewall Democrats, and the League of Women Voters for many years. As part of the Jefferson
County Democrats they were instrumental in the formation of the strongest and largest county
wide GLBT Democrat Caucus in Colorado. Over the years they have raised many thousands of
dollars for candidates in Colorado who supported the GLBT community with their votes at the
state and federal level. Their efforts with the GLBT Democrat Caucus were acknowledged when
they were selected a few years ago as “Democrats of the Year”.
Their steadfast work in the Jefferson County Democrats resulted in them being the first GLBT
persons chosen to receive the prestigious Eleanor Roosevelt Award.
Every year when the state legislative session begins Kathy and Carmah can be found at the State
Capitol in Denver. They visit state representatives and senators in their offices in an attempt to
educate them regarding the issues facing GLBTs and older GLBTs in particular. During legislative
hearings they often speak when the floor is opened for public comment. They have testified on
behalf of bills that would be of direct benefit to the GLBT Community. Usually, they begin their
testimony with “This is what an old Lesbian looks like”. As a direct result of their persistence,
Colorado has passed five laws that protect Colorado’s gay community in recent years. Those
laws are:
• Employment non-discrimination, Housing and public accommodations protection, Hate
crimes, Second-parent adoptions and Designated beneficiaries.
• Kathy and Carmah are the main source of legislative GLBT issues for the Northern
Colorado OLOC Chapter. Their first hand accounts keep our members aware of pending
actions that could affect our lives the most.
• In 2004 Kathy and Carmah were interviewed for the documentary film Project Visibility.
The film has helped educate and sensitize service providers for GLBT Elders all across the
nation.
Kathy Glass and Carmah Lawler are friends to all they meet be they gay, Lesbian, straight, bisexual,
transgender, or questioning. We can think of no one better qualified to receive this award.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the 45 women of Northern Colorado OLOC,
The committee for nominating Kathy and Carmah:
Cindy Bear, Sara Beery, Emily Lewis, Marj Rust,
Angela Scala, Jean Scott, and Linda Warren
